Soldier: There are
no civilians in the spiritual battlefield. The devil opposes all who trust and follow
Christ, and we must resist him (1 Pet. 5:8-9) since we are all soldiers of Christ.[1]
Timothy had a special commission as Paul’s lieutenant in Ephesus to “command[2]
certain men not to teach strange doctrines” (v3). But this battle was not only doctrinal
but personal. He is to fight this battle as a Christian who maintains[3]
The Fight: Faith must be fought for. In Scripture, saving faith is no one-time pledge but a lifestyle of learning, thinking, and upholding the word of God (1 Pet. 1:23-2:2). It is indeed an enduring faith (Matt. 24:13; Luke 8:13-15; John 8:31; Col. 1:22-23; Heb. 10:36). It is also to constantly be “nourished on the words of the faith” (1 Tim. 4:6). This is the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). Moreover, a good conscience must also be fought for. Our flesh wants to live mindlessly and meander through life without dealing with our sin-infected minds. All disciples of Christ are called to listen to the voice of conscience and steer away from sin, and when we have failed, to be quick to confess, repent, learn the ways of the Lord, and be renewed in our minds. This is the God-ordained means of our transformation (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18). We pursue a good conscience. This is progressive sanctification, not sinless perfection.[4]
[1] Timothy was ministering to the Ephesians
(1:3) who were well aware of this spiritual reality (Eph.
6:11-12).
[2] NASB’s “instruct [pa-rang-e-llo, παραγγέλλω]” is the verbal
form of the noun “command [pa-rang-e-li-a, παραγγελία]”
of v18. Paul deliberately echoes the language of v3 to connect to his directive
to stop strange teaching. “Command” is a military term. This is consistent with
the language of war here: “wage (stra-teu-ō, στρατεύω) the good war (stra-tei-a, στρατεία)” (ESV, KJV). Paul later emphasizes this militaristic
nature of our spiritual battle by calling Timothy a “soldier” (stra-ti-ō-tēs, στρατιώτης)
in 2 Tim. 2:3-4.
[3] “Keeping” is the present participle
of e-chō (ἔχω), which
is imperfective and means “continue to have.”
[4] Paul vigorously pursued a life of
no-compromise (Acts 24:16; 2 Cor. 1:12; 2 Tim. 1:3), yet this was never the basis
of his righteous standing before God (1 Cor. 4:4-5). Justification is a gift of
God’s grace (Rom. 3:24), and all who are justified repent of every known sin (2
Cor. 7:1) and pursue personal holiness (1 Pet. 1:15-16).